by Bill Bryson
that, which. To understand the distinctions between that and which it is necessary to understand restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses. A nonrestrictive, or nondefining, clause is one that can be regarded as parenthetical: “The tree, which had no leaves, was a birch.” The italicized words are effectively an aside and could be deleted. The real point of the sentence is that the tree was a birch; its leaflessness is incidental. A restrictive, defining clause is one that is essential to the sense of the sentence. “The tree that had no leaves was a birch.” Here the leaflessness is a defining characteristic; it helps us to distinguish that tree from other trees. In correct usage that is always used to indicate restrictive clauses and which to indicate nonrestrictive ones. Restrictive clauses should never be set off with commas and nonrestrictive clauses always should.
“Their’s not to reason why,/Their’s but to do and die” are the correct lines and original (but incorrect then too) punctuation from Tennyson’s “Charge of the Light Brigade.”
Theophrastus. (c. 372–286 BC) Greek philosopher.
therapeutic.
Thermopylae. A pass in Greece between the mountains and the sea, used throughout history as an invasion route.
Thermos. (Cap.)
Theron, Charlize. (1975–) South African–born actress.
thesaurus, pl. thesauri/thesauruses.
thesis, pl. theses.
Thimphu. Capital of Bhutan.
thingamabob, thingamajig.
thinking to oneself, as in “I thought to myself: ‘We’re lost,’” is always tautological; there is no one else to whom one can think. Delete “to myself.” Similarly vacuous is “in my mind” in constructions like “I could picture in my mind where the offices had been.”
thinness, thinnest.
Third World. (Caps.)
Thirty Years/Years’ War. (1618–1648) War between Catholic and Protestant factions fought principally in Germany.
Thomas, Dylan. (1914–1953) Welsh poet.
Thomson, Bobby. (1923–) Not Thomp-. Scottish-born American baseball player who hit a celebrated home run to give the New York Giants the National League pennant in 1951.
thorax, pl. thoraces/thoraxes.
Thoreau, Henry David. (1817–1862) American naturalist, poet, and writer.
Thornburgh, Dick. (1932–) Republican U.S. politician, governor of Pennsylvania (1979–87), and U.S. attorney general (1988–1991).
Thorndike, Dame Sybil. (1882–1976) English actress.
thorny. Not -ey.
though, although. The two are interchangeable except as an adverb placed after the verb, where only though is correct, and with the expressions as though and even though, where idiom precludes although.
Threadneedle Street, Old Lady of. Nickname for the Bank of England.
Three Mile Island. Nuclear power station, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
threshold.
thrived/throve. Either is acceptable, but most authorities prefer the latter.
Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There is the full, formal title of the 1871 Lewis Carroll classic. Note the hyphen in Looking-Glass.
Thruway is the correct official spelling in many highway contexts (New York State Thruway Authority, Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway).
Thucydides. (c. 460–c. 400 BC) Greek historian of the Peloponnesian War.
Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
Tibullus, Albius. (c. 54–19 BC) Roman elegiac poet.
tic douloureux. Disorder of the facial nerves. Its formal medical designation is trigeminal neuralgia.
tickety-boo.
tic-tac-toe.
tiddly-winks.
Tiepolo, Giovanni Battista. (1696–1770) Italian artist.
Tierra del Fuego. South American archipelago.
Tiffany, Charles Lewis. (1812–1902) American jeweler and founder of the famous New York jewelry store; father of Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933), American designer, known for design and production of Tiffany glass and Tiffany lamps.
Tigonankweine Range. Mountains in western Canada.
tilde. The mark (~) used in Spanish to denote the sound ny, as is señor or cañón; word pronounced till'-duh.
Tilden, Bill. (1893–1933) American tennis player, three-time world champion.
timber, timbre. The first is wood; the second refers to sound.
Timbuktu. Small city in Mali. The name is used to signify any very remote place.
time often has a curious magnetic effect, attracting extra words to sentences, as in: “The property was occupied for a short length of time.” Make it “for a short time.” Occasionally, time itself is superfluous, as in constructions of this sort: “The report will be available in two weeks’ time.” Time adds nothing to the sentence but wordiness.
time, at this moment in. Unless you are striving for an air of linguistic ineptitude, never use this expression. Say “now.”
Timor Leste. Asian republic; capital Dili.
tin lizzie. A Model T Ford, not any old car.
tinnitus. Persistent ringing in the ears.
Tin Pan Alley. District of Manhattan where music publishers once congregated.
tinsel.
tintinnabulation. Ringing sound of bells.
Tintoretto. (1518–1594) Italian artist; real name Jacopo Robusti.
Tipperary. Town and county in the Republic of Ireland.
tipsy. Not -ey. Mildly intoxicated.
tiramisu. Italian dessert.
Tirol. German for Tyrol, region of Austria.
’Tis Pity She’s a Whore. Not a Pity. Play by John Ford (1633).
Titian. (c. 1490–1576) Italian painter; in Italian, Tiziano Vecellio.
titillate.
titivate.
Tito, Marshal. (1892–1980) Prime minister of Yugoslavia (1945–1953), president (1953–1980); born Josip Broz.
tmesis. Interposing a word between the syllables of another, as in abso-bloody-lutely.
TNT. A well-known explosive. The initials are short for trinitrotoluene.
to all intents and purposes is unnecessarily wordy. “To all intents” is enough.
toboggan.
toby jug. (No caps.)
Tocqueville, Alexis (Charles Henri Maurice Clérel) de. (1805–1859) French politician and historian.
together with, along with. With in both expressions is a preposition, not a conjunction, and therefore does not govern the verb. This sentence is wrong: “They said the man, a motor mechanic, together with a 22-year-old arrested a day earlier, were being questioned” (London Times). Make it “was being questioned.”
Togolese. Of or from Togo.
Tojo, Hideki. (1884–1948) Japanese prime minister (1941–1944), executed as war criminal.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1892–1973) English philologist and author of fantasies; the initials stood for John Ronald Reuel.
Tolstoy, Count Leo. (1828–1910) Russian novelist.
tomato, pl. tomatoes.
tomorrow.
Toms River, New Jersey.
ton, tonne. There are two kinds of ton: a long ton (used principally in the United Kingdom), weighing 2,240 lbs./1,016 kg., and a short ton (used in the United States and Canada), weighing 2,000 lbs./907 kg. A tonne is the British term for what in America is normally called a metric ton; it weighs 2,204 lbs./1,000 kg.
tonnages of ships. Deadweight tonnage is the amount of cargo a ship can carry. Displacement tonnage is the weight of the ship itself. Gross tonnage measures the theoretical capacity of a ship based on its dimensions. When using any of these terms, it is only fair to give the reader some idea of what each signifies.
tonsillitis.
Tontons Macoute. Civilian militia in Haiti; supporters of the Duvalier regimes.
Tony Awards. Theatrical awards named for the actress and producer Antoinette Perry. They have been awarded since 1947. Pl. Tonys.
topsy-turvy.
Torino. Italian for Turin.
tormentor. Not -er.
tornadoes.
&nb
sp; Torquemada, Tomás de. (1420–1498) Spanish monk who organized the Inquisition.
torsos.
tortuous, torturous. Tortuous means winding and circuitous (“The road wound tortuously through the mountains”). When used figuratively it usually suggests deviousness (“a tortuous tax avoidance scheme”). The word is thus better avoided if all you mean is complicated or convoluted. Torturous is the adjectival form of torture and describes the infliction of extreme pain.
Toscanini, Arturo. (1867–1957) Italian conductor.
total. Three points to note:
1. Total is redundant and should be deleted when what it is qualifying already contains the idea of a totality, as here: “[They] risk total annihilation at the hands of the massive Israeli forces now poised to strike at the gates of the city” (Washington Post).
2. The expression a total of, though common, is also generally superfluous: “County officials said a total of 84 prisoners were housed in six cells” (New York Times). Make it “officials said 84 prisoners.” An exception is at the start of sentences when it is desirable to avoid spelling out a large number, as in “A total of 2,112 sailors were aboard” instead of “Two thousand one hundred and twelve sailors were aboard.”
3. “A total of 45 weeks was spent on the study” (London Times) is wrong. As with “a number of” and “the number of,” the rule is to make it “the total of…was,” but “a total of…were.”
totaled, totaling.
to the tune of. A hackneyed circumlocution. “The company is being subsidized to the tune of $500 million a year” would be more succinct as “The company receives a subsidy of $500 million a year.”
Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri de. (1864–1901) French painter; full name Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa.
toupee. (No accent.)
Tourette syndrome (pref.), Tourette’s syndrome (alt.). Neurological disorder named for the French physician Georges Gilles de la Tourette (1859–1904).
Tournai, Belgium, but Tournay, France.
tournedos. (Sing. and pl.) Choice cut or cuts of beef.
tout à l’heure. (Fr.) Soon, just now, a moment ago.
tout de suite. (Fr.) Immediately.
tout le monde. (Fr.) Everybody.
tovarich/tovarish. Either is acceptable for the Russian word for comrade; in Russian, tovarishch.
toward, towards. The first is the preferred form in America, the second in Britain, but either is correct. Untoward, however, is the only accepted form in both.
toxemia. Blood poisoning.
traceable.
tradable.
trademark, trade name. A trademark is a name, symbol, or other depiction that formally identifies a product. A trade name is the name of the maker, not of the product. Cadillac is a trademark, General Motors a trade name.
Tralee, Ireland.
tranquillity, but tranquilize, tranquilizer.
transatlantic. Most dictionaries and style books (but by no means all) prefer transatlantic to trans-Atlantic. Similarly, transalpine, transarctic, transpacific.
Transdniestra. Breakaway part of Moldova.
trans fats. (Two words.)
transgressor. Not -er.
transship, transshipment.
transitive verb. In grammar, a verb that requires a direct object.
translucent is sometimes wrongly treated as a synonym for transparent. A translucent material is one through which light passes but through which images cannot be clearly seen, as with frosted glass. Note also the spelling; it is not -scent.
transsexual.
Trappist monk.
trattoria. Italian restaurant; pl. trattorie.
Traviata, La. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi (1853).
treiskaidekaphobia. Fear of the number 13.
trek, trekked.
Trentino-Alto Adige. Region of Italy.
TriBeCa. Short for Triangle Below Canal Street, New York City.
Triborough Bridge, New York City.
Trinidad and Tobago. Caribbean republic; capital Port-of-Spain. Natives are Trinidadians or Tobagonians, depending on which part of the republic they come from.
Trintignant, Jean-Louis. (1930–) French actor.
triptych. Painting on three panels hinged together.
trireme. Ancient Greek ship with three banks of oars.
Tristan da Cunha. British island colony in the south Atlantic Ocean.
Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, The Life and Opinions of. Novel by Laurence Sterne (1760–1767).
trivia is, strictly speaking, a plural, and a few dictionaries recognize it only as such. “All this daily trivia is getting on my nerves” should be “All these daily trivia are getting on my nerves.” There is no singular form (the Latin trivium now has only historical applications), but there are the singular words trifle and triviality. The other option, if the plural form seems ungainly, is to convert trivia into an adjective: “All these trivial daily matters are getting on my nerves.”
troglodyte. Cave dweller.
troika. A group of three.
Troilus and Cressida. Play by Shakespeare (c. 1601). The poem by Geoffrey Chaucer is “Troylus and Criseyde.” In Boccaccio’s Il Filostrato the spelling is Criseida.
Trollope, Anthony. (1815–1852) English novelist, son of Frances Trollope (1780–1863), novelist and travel writer.
trompe-l’oeil. (Fr.) Painting designed to deceive the viewer into thinking that the object depicted is not painted but real; pronounced tromp loy.
Trooping the Color. The annual event celebrating the British queen’s official birthday in June (as opposed to her actual birthday in April) is not the Trooping of the Color, as it is often written, even in Britain, but just Trooping the Color.
troubadour.
trousseau, pl. trousseaus/trousseaux.
Trovatore, II. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi (1853).
Trudeau, Garry. (1948–) American cartoonist, creator of Doonesbury.
Trudeau, Pierre (Elliott). (1919–2000) Prime minister of Canada (1968–1979, 1980–1984).
true facts is always either redundant or wrong. All facts are true. Things that are not true are not facts.
Truman, Harry S. (1884–1972) Democratic politician, president (1945–53). The S stands for nothing as Truman had no middle name, and for that reason some authorities spell it without a period.
try and, as in constructions such as “We’ll try and come back next week,” is regarded as colloquial by many authorities and thus is better avoided in serious writing. Use “try to” instead.
tse-tse fly.
tsunami.
Tsvangirai, Morgan. (1952–) Opposition leader in Zimbabwe, president of Movement for Democratic Change.
Tuckahoe, New York.
Tucson, Arizona.
Tuileries, Paris.
Tumucumaque, Serra de. Mountain range in northern Brazil.
tumult, turmoil. Both describe confusion and agitation. The difference is that tumult applies only to people, but turmoil applies to both people and things. Tumultuous, however, can also describe things as well as people (“tumultuous applause,” “tumultuous seas”).
turbid, turgid. The first means muddy or impenetrable; the second means inflated, grandiloquent, bombastic.
Turkmenistan. Former republic of the Soviet Union, now an independent state; capital Ashgabat (or Ashkhabad).
turpitude does not signify rectitude or integrity, as is sometimes thought, but rather baseness or depravity. “He is a man of great moral turpitude” is not a compliment.
turquoise.
Tuskegee, Alabama, home of Tuskegee University (formerly Tuskegee Institute).
Tussaud’s, Madame. London waxworks museum.
Tutankhamun (or Tutankhamen). (c. 1359–c. 1340 BC) Egyptian pharaoh.
tutti-frutti.
TWA. Trans World Airlines (no hyphens), former airline.
Twain, Mark. Pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835–1910), American author.
Tylers’ and Bricklayers’ Comp
any. London livery company. Not Tilers’.
Tymoshenko, Yulia. (1960–) Prime minister of Ukraine (2005).
Tynedale (or Tindale), William. (c. 1484–1536) English biblical scholar.
tyrannosaur. Any dinosaur of the genus Tyrannosaurus. The largest tyrannosaur was Tyrannosaurus rex.
tyrannous.
tyro. A novice; pl. tyros.
Tyrol. Region of Austria and Italy; not the Tyrol. In German Tirol; in Italian, Tirolo.
Tyrrhenian Sea. Stretch of the Mediterranean between Italy, Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily.
Tyus, Wyomia. (1945–) American sprinter.
Uu
U. A Burmese honorific, roughly equivalent to Mr.
UAE. United Arab Emirates.
UAL. United Airlines.
UAR. United Arab Republic, title used by Egypt and Syria together from 1958 to 1961, and by Egypt alone from 1961 to 1971.
Übermensch. (Ger.) Superman.
ubiquitous, ubiquity.
U-boat. Short for Unterseeboot, German term for submarine.
UBS PaineWebber Inc. Investment company.
Uccellina National Park, Tuscany, Italy.
Uccello, Paolo. (1397–1475) Italian painter; born Paolo di Dono.
UCLA. University of California at Los Angeles.
UDI. Unilateral declaration of independence.
Udmurtiya. Russian republic.
Ueberroth, Peter. (1937–) American businessman, former commissioner of Major League Baseball.
UEFA. Union of European Football Associations.
Ueno Park. Station and district, Tokyo.
Uffizi Gallery, Florence; in Italian, Galleria degli Uffizi.
UHF. Ultra-high frequency.
UHT. Ultra-heat tested (not ultra-high temperature), process for long-life milk products.
uisge beatha. Gaelic for whiskey.
ukase. An edict.
Ukraine. Former republic of Soviet Union, now an independent state; capital Kiev.
ukulele. Not uke-. Stringed instrument.
Ulaanbaatar (or Ulan Bator). Capital of Mongolia.
Ullmann, Liv. (1939–) Norwegian actress.
Ullswater. One of the Lake District lakes, Cumbria, England.
ulna. The larger bone in the forearm; pl. ulnas/ulnae.
Ulster. Province of Ireland, not coextensive with Northern Ireland; three counties are in the Republic of Ireland.
